https://www.scmp.com/rss/273722/feed Ernest Kao was a reporter at the Post until 2019, covering environment, energy, science and urban planning and development issues. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The average concentration of tiny plastic particles in Hong Kong’s waters has increased 11-fold in just three years, according to one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted in the city on the topic. Greenpeace East Asia and researchers from Education University said the results reflected the “prevalent use of plastic packaging” in Hong Kong. And they believed most of this plastic pollution was produced locally. “It is common to see food items wrapped in multiple layers of unnecessary... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3001559/seas-around-hong-kong-drowning-microplastics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3001559/seas-around-hong-kong-drowning-microplastics?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Mar 2019 00:02:16 +0000 Hong Kong health authorities should exclude eyeglasses from the elderly health care voucher scheme instead of imposing a blanket spending cap on optometric services, a trade group representing the industry said on Tuesday. The government on Monday proposed a HK$2,000 (US$256) cap every two years on the value residents could spend on optometric services using their vouchers in a bid to stop patients from using the money all in one place – as was increasingly the case. But Vincent Ng Sheung-shun,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3001359/leave-eyeglasses-out-medical-voucher-scheme?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3001359/leave-eyeglasses-out-medical-voucher-scheme?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Mar 2019 10:02:29 +0000 Hong Kong health officials have proposed a HK$2,000 cap every two years on the value elderly residents can spend on optometric services using their medical care vouchers, drawing ire from the industry. The government had initially considered a HK$1,000 cap, but raised it after consulting patients’ groups and optometrists. The idea, according to Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee, is to discourage the elderly from spending all their vouchers on a single service, and to ensure a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2189593/proposed-cap-how-much-hong-kongs-elderly-can-spend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2189593/proposed-cap-how-much-hong-kongs-elderly-can-spend?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Mar 2019 13:30:41 +0000 In 2011, Qian Peiyuan set out on a mission to measure the true biodiversity of microorganisms in the world’s oceans. What he discovered, in his words, could enhance the understanding of life and provide new weapons in the fight against disease. Back then, the Hong Kong-based scientist was convinced the number of microbial marine species had to be higher than widely thought, and still thought more remained undiscovered when the international Tara Oceans research project put it at 35,000 in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2189408/hong-kong-scientist-wanted-discover-new-ocean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2189408/hong-kong-scientist-wanted-discover-new-ocean?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2019 23:51:43 +0000 After a seven-year wait, Kevin Wong Chun-yu finally received a flat in 2016 under Hong Kong’s public housing system, but the father of two was not thrilled because he found many facilities in his estate inadequate. The Wongs were among some of the earliest residents to move into the newly built Hung Fuk Estate, the first public housing project to be completed in Hung Shui Kiu, a rural area in the New Territories that is currently being developed into a new town. It boasts nine residential... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2189409/more-half-new-public-housing-tenants-stressed-unfamiliar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2189409/more-half-new-public-housing-tenants-stressed-unfamiliar?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2019 10:06:16 +0000 Hong Kong conservationist Lew Young, who played an instrumental role in setting up the city’s first and only Ramsar protected wetland site in Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay, died earlier this week. He was 60. Having managed part of the wetland for 17 years, Young is fondly remembered for his efforts in fighting for stronger protections for the landmark, a home to abundant endangered species, and turning Mai Po into a popular education centre for families and students all over Hong Kong. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2188971/conservationist-lew-young-who-helped-set-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2188971/conservationist-lew-young-who-helped-set-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Mar 2019 03:42:03 +0000 An environmental advisory group has raised no objection to proposed revisions to the Hong Kong government’s five-year air quality goals, even as officials dismissed calls to tighten targets for two pollutants. The government on Monday told the Advisory Council on the Environment the revised targets for 2025 could not be set to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) ultimate objectives as such a move would make it impossible for infrastructure projects to pass environmental impact assessments... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2188607/hong-kongs-air-quality-goals-2025-cleared?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2188607/hong-kongs-air-quality-goals-2025-cleared?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Mar 2019 15:00:30 +0000 The stench of stale liquor lingers in the air at a dusty recycling yard in Hong Kong’s Lung Kwu Tan in the New Territories. Tonnes of waste glass are being pulverised into grains of sand by high-frequency shock waves, and piled neatly into high mounds. Delvin Cheng Chung-wang, project manager at Baguio, which operates the plant, said their biggest challenge was in sifting through waste glass and sorting processable items from others. “People think anything that looks like glass is glass, so... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2188405/sort-your-rubbish-properly-hong-kongs-glass?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2188405/sort-your-rubbish-properly-hong-kongs-glass?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Mar 2019 23:03:15 +0000 Hong Kong’s finance chief has said it is not the right time for new measures to help residents priced off the city’s property ladder, even as critics slam his latest budget for doing little to ease the housing crunch. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said there were no immediate plans to loosen mortgage ratios or offer further concessions to first-time buyers, as it would be irresponsible and perceived as the government meddling in the market. “We don’t want to, especially when property... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2188425/not-right-time-help-those-priced-out-hong-kong-property?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2188425/not-right-time-help-those-priced-out-hong-kong-property?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Mar 2019 10:04:09 +0000 Diplomatic tensions on the Indian subcontinent have had a knock-on effect on air travel, with at least one flight servicing Hong Kong affected by the recent closure of Pakistan’s airspace. Cathay Pacific said on Thursday its daily Hong Kong-Dubai service had to be diverted south, resulting in minor delays to arrivals. “Our passenger services between Hong Kong and Dubai have been adjusted to operate south of Pakistan airspace. This results in an additional five to 10 minutes’ flight time,” a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/2188095/india-pakistan-tensions-having-impact-air-travel-flights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/2188095/india-pakistan-tensions-having-impact-air-travel-flights?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Feb 2019 10:22:56 +0000 Hong Kong finance chief Paul Chan Mo-po scaled back the usual sweeteners in this year’s budget, given projections of slower economic growth and a smaller fiscal surplus. He offered taxpayers HK$33.9 billion (US$4.3 billion) in rates and tax concessions, nearly HK$10 billion less than last year’s HK$43.3 billion package. Individual earners will again enjoy a 75 per cent reduction in salaries tax for 2018-19 but subject to a lower ceiling of HK$20,000, compared to last year’s HK$30,000. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2187912/hong-kong-finance-chief-paul-chan-dials-down-budget-relief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2187912/hong-kong-finance-chief-paul-chan-dials-down-budget-relief?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Feb 2019 08:51:12 +0000 The way Hong Kong land is leased, managed and recorded is outdated, opaque and cumbersome, a city think tank has said, calling on officials to review the system. Fragmented administration and decades-old laws were among problems preventing existing land from being used efficiently, the Hong Kong Policy Research Institute said on Sunday, even as the government hunts for new sources of land such as reclamation and building on golf courses. “Without an efficient land administration system to effect... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2187498/outdated-and-opaque-administration-stops-hong-kong-using-land?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2187498/outdated-and-opaque-administration-stops-hong-kong-using-land?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Feb 2019 13:09:01 +0000 A HK$260,000 investment might not sound like the typical budget for a Hong Kong secondary school project, but that’s exactly what 16-year-old Jane Chan managed to pull off. Passionate about climate change, international affairs and environmental policy, the student set her mind to completing a mid-year personal project that was original, profitable and socially impactful. Her idea was to install solar panels on the roof of her school, Renaissance College in Ma On Shan, to feed clean, renewable... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2187151/student-hong-kongs-renaissance-college-hooks-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2187151/student-hong-kongs-renaissance-college-hooks-new?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Feb 2019 01:02:25 +0000 Just two dozen teachers in Hong Kong have completed and received reimbursements for training programmes to improve their skills teaching Chinese as a second language despite demand from about 80 schools, the government watchdog has found. The Office of the Ombudsman criticised the Education Bureau for not doing enough to push schools and teachers to participate in these services and suggested it review its support measures to help more non-Chinese-speaking pupils integrate. This was among a raft... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2186812/just-24-teachers-four-years-finish-course-and-collect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2186812/just-24-teachers-four-years-finish-course-and-collect?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Feb 2019 10:08:05 +0000 Hong Kong on Tuesday woke to thunder and downpours heavy enough to warrant the first rainstorm alert of 2019 – the second earliest ever issued in a calendar year. The Observatory issued the amber rainstorm warning signal at 9am, indicating rainfall exceeding 30mm per hour. It was cancelled at 10.10am. “There will be flooding in some low lying and poorly drained areas,” the Observatory said. “People who are likely to be affected should take necessary precautions to reduce their exposure to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2186731/thunderstorms-and-downpours-hong-kong-observatory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2186731/thunderstorms-and-downpours-hong-kong-observatory?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Feb 2019 02:44:17 +0000 Campers may have to reserve a spot at public campsites in the future, according to new proposals aimed at enhancing Hong Kong’s country parks. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said on Monday it would consider charging fees – mainly to deter no-shows – but conceded it would also have to step up management and monitoring. The proposals were among those put forward in a three-month public consultation until May 15 to enhance the “recreation and education potential” of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2186677/log-cabins-zip-lines-and-glamping-among-proposals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2186677/log-cabins-zip-lines-and-glamping-among-proposals?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Feb 2019 11:13:14 +0000 A total of HK$4.2 million (US$535,000) in cash and valuables was stolen from the luxury home of consumer finance magnate Akihiro Nagahara on The Peak on Sunday, just hours after a 13-hour police anti-burglary operation in the area. Officers are searching for two or more suspects who raided the Barker Road house while Nagahara, 78, and his family were out. Nagahara is the chief executive and managing director of United Asia Finance, a Hong Kong-based microlender. The residence is just 200 metres... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/2186568/burglars-make-hk35-million-watches-hk700000-cash-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/2186568/burglars-make-hk35-million-watches-hk700000-cash-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Feb 2019 00:50:41 +0000 Almost two out of every three items processed at the Hong Kong government’s dedicated recycling plant for waste electrical appliances are bulky washing machines or refrigerators – a trend considered as unexpected. The clunky items, according to operator Alba IWS, are gobbling up space rapidly and modifications to the plant as well as workflows are being considered. Director and general manager Nigel Mattravers said the facility was still operating within its designated capacity and there would... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2186519/clunky-washing-machines-and-fridges-form-bulk-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2186519/clunky-washing-machines-and-fridges-form-bulk-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Feb 2019 14:32:29 +0000 Hong Kong’s largest private plastics processing and recycling plant is expected to start taking in discarded drink bottles and turning them into safe materials that can be used with food products next year. Alba Group, the German recycling giant tasked with running the proposed facility in Tuen Mun’s EcoPark, said the plant would be the first of its scale to turn two common forms of household plastic waste into non-toxic recycled material. The joint venture, which involves Swire Beverages and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2186510/will-hong-kongs-largest-private-recycling-plant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2186510/will-hong-kongs-largest-private-recycling-plant?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Feb 2019 14:03:21 +0000 Shoppers’ paradise Hong Kong attracted a surprise visitor at the weekend – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who was seen in town for the second time in less than five months. Duterte was in Hong Kong with his long-time partner Honeylet Avancena, who was celebrating her birthday on Saturday, and their daughter Kitty. The visit by the 73-year-old Philippine strongman came two months after four Hongkongers were jailed for life on drug charges in the country. The presidential office said on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2186478/philippine-president-rodrigo-duterte-spotted-shopping-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2186478/philippine-president-rodrigo-duterte-spotted-shopping-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Feb 2019 15:30:00 +0000 A luxury hotel boasting two Michelin-starred restaurants was fined on Thursday for discharging oily, greasy waste water into public sewers. The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, inside the International Commerce Centre (ICC) in western Kowloon, broke the conditions of its waste water discharge licence, Kwun Tong Court ruled. Its operating company, Best Winners, was slapped with the HK$15,000 (US$1,900) penalty. An Environmental Protection Department spokesman stressed that all licensees should arrange... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2186208/luxury-hotel-ritz-carlton-hong-kong-fined-hk15000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2186208/luxury-hotel-ritz-carlton-hong-kong-fined-hk15000?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Feb 2019 13:59:13 +0000 Two porpoise carcasses were found on separate Hong Kong shores on Sunday, bringing the total number of stranded cases involving the marine animal to 15 this year – a figure that was alarming, conservationists warned. The severely decomposed bodies of an adult male and male calf, measuring 1.66 metres and 1.36 metres respectively, were found in Tap Mun and Sai Kung, with the latter having a 34cm wound on its abdomen. Both belong to the finless porpoise species. The incidents were reported to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2185728/two-porpoise-carcasses-found-separate-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2185728/two-porpoise-carcasses-found-separate-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Feb 2019 01:02:31 +0000 In the winter of 2015, rare toxic algal blooms began spreading across Hong Kong waters. Lee Muk-kam’s floating fish farm in the sheltered bay off Tai Po’s Sam Mun Tsai was one of the mariculture zones hardest hit by the onslaught. By spring of the following year, 8,000 Sabah groupers, which he had raised from fry, had been wiped out by the oxygen-depleting blooms, also known as “red tides”. “That was almost a million dollars in losses,” he said, pointing to a lone grouper frolicking in one of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2185583/there-something-fishy-going-or-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2185583/there-something-fishy-going-or-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Feb 2019 01:33:25 +0000 A bizarre incident last week in which hungry bulls wandered the aisles of a Lantau Island supermarket was rare and likely to be a one-off, Hong Kong’s conservation chief said on Sunday. But he admitted the city’s wild pig problem was worsening and there was a need to explore other methods to bring down their population and prevent people feeding them, which had lured the animals into urban areas. Dr Leung Siu-fai, director of agriculture, fisheries and conservation, said the issue of feral... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2185590/bulls-invading-parknshop-supermarket-one-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2185590/bulls-invading-parknshop-supermarket-one-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Feb 2019 09:55:56 +0000 Services on the MTR’s East Rail line were disrupted on Sunday morning because of damage to an overhead power cable by a piece of handrail, which Hong Kong police believed was an act of vandalism. The interruption to the power supply forced a suspension of trains between Tai Po Market and Fanling for about an hour. The incident came to light at about 5am, about 30 minutes before the day’s first trains were due to depart. Services between Hung Hom and Tai Po Market ran at one train every 10... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/2185572/hong-kong-police-investigate-damage-overhead-power-cable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/2185572/hong-kong-police-investigate-damage-overhead-power-cable?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Feb 2019 03:56:22 +0000 Vincent Yan Kwok-hung’s childhood dream was to fly planes. Things did not quite work out the way he had imagined – he is now an engineer at power utility CLP – but he takes comfort in the fact he has made it halfway – with drones. Yan is one of three members of the company’s fledgling drone pilot team, formed ad hoc two years ago and now tasked with carrying out all aerial monitoring of facilities at its sprawling Castle Peak Power Station. It is no cakewalk – the job involves piloting HK$80,000... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2185309/how-hong-kong-electricity-company-clp-saving?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2185309/how-hong-kong-electricity-company-clp-saving?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Feb 2019 00:01:58 +0000 Entrepreneur Eric Wong Sing-hung sees a waste crisis on the horizon and has a big idea to solve it. Smartphone in hand, the 70-year-old taps the back of its case – batteries. Specifically, the rechargeable lithium-ion ones that power almost every mobile device, laptop and electric vehicle in the world. Seeing a dearth of safe, environmentally friendly and cost-effective solutions to recycle or dispose of depleted batteries and the business opportunity this presented, he had pulled himself out of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2185171/how-your-smartphone-battery-can-power-re?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2185171/how-your-smartphone-battery-can-power-re?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Feb 2019 00:01:17 +0000 Hongkongers rang in the Lunar New Year on Monday night with festivities across the city and family reunions to welcome the Year of the Pig. In a Lunar New Year tradition, worshippers at Wong Tai Sin temple in Kowloon rushed to burn the first incense to the Taoist deity, the Great Immortal Wong. As ever, former actress Lana Wong Ha-wai, 88 – donning a plastic pig snout and ears in accordance with this year’s zodiac animal – was among the first in line. How China’s technology boom is changing New... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2184995/family-reunions-festive-meals-and-last-minute-shopping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2184995/family-reunions-festive-meals-and-last-minute-shopping?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Feb 2019 15:02:24 +0000 A Hong Kong news reporter is pursuing a legal claim against the city’s police chief over an alleged assault on him by officers while covering the Mong Kok riot three years ago. Lincoln Tang Lik-hang, formerly with Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao Daily, said police officers dragged him off a bus from where he was observing events, pushed him to the ground, kicked and then beat him with batons, even after he told them he was a journalist. Tang lodged a report with the force’s internal... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/2184900/hong-kong-news-reporter-takes-police-chief-court-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/2184900/hong-kong-news-reporter-takes-police-chief-court-over?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Feb 2019 00:30:34 +0000 A man died during a dive in Hong Kong’s southern waters on Sunday night. A friend found him unconscious shortly after he went into the water. The diver was rushed back to shore at Blake Pier in Stanley. The Hong Kong man, in his 40s, was taken to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan by ambulance but later certified dead despite attempts at emergency resuscitation, according to police. He was suspected to have drowned. Police received a report at around 8pm about the incident... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2184899/hong-kong-man-drowns-during-night-dive-po-toi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2184899/hong-kong-man-drowns-during-night-dive-po-toi?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Feb 2019 16:06:27 +0000 It was suspicious that so many documents which would shed light on the shoddy-work scandal at Hong Kong’s costliest rail project have gone missing, a legislator and veteran engineer agreed on Thursday. That came after the government’s Wednesday revelation of yet more construction problems at the Sha Tin-Central Link, when it transpired that 40 per cent of documents certifying work on two approach tunnels and some sidetracks had gone missing. Suspecting foul play, Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/2184438/very-high-chance-lost-papers-hong-kongs-scandal-hit-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/2184438/very-high-chance-lost-papers-hong-kongs-scandal-hit-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jan 2019 05:16:17 +0000 Hong Kong environmental inspectors will take to the skies to police the city’s waters with drones to help enforce a new law requiring ships to burn cleaner marine fuels. The sensor-equipped drones designed by the University of Science and Technology will be flown into smoke plumes spewed from ships to conduct real-time measurements mainly of sulphur dioxide emissions. Dr Zhi Ning of the university’s environment and sustainability division, who led the one-year research project – funded by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2184344/hong-kong-authorities-set-ramp-fight-against-air?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2184344/hong-kong-authorities-set-ramp-fight-against-air?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jan 2019 10:53:24 +0000 Hong Kong’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gases should be centred on energy-efficient buildings as the power sector will play a smaller role in cutting emissions in about a decade. The Business Environment Council, an association of industry players, said the city’s urban environment accounted for 60 per cent of total gas emissions, and any long-term decarbonisation plan would have to incorporate new policy changes and incentives to influence how energy is used in buildings. “Up to 2030, we all... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2184083/why-energy-efficient-buildings-should-lead-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2184083/why-energy-efficient-buildings-should-lead-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jan 2019 08:31:06 +0000 A new set of proposed five-year air quality objectives running up to 2025 may have been pitched overly conservatively to make it easier for major future projects like a large-scale reclamation east of Lantau Island to meet them, according to a Hong Kong environmental advocacy group. The objectives, revised every five years, set concentration limits for seven key pollutants and the number of times levels can be exceeded in a year, with reference to World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2182585/hong-kongs-five-year-air-quality-targets-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2182585/hong-kongs-five-year-air-quality-targets-are?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jan 2019 00:01:00 +0000 January 3 was a nerve-racking day for Professor Yung Kai-leung and his team at Polytechnic University’s industrial and systems engineering department. The researchers had helped design and make the mission-critical camera mount for the world’s first landing on the far side of the moon, an undertaking by China’s Chang’e 4 space mission, which was declared a success on Friday more than a month after its launch. Whether the multi-axis mount – built from a hardened aluminium alloy at the Hung Hom... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2182036/critical-roles-played-hong-kong-researchers-chinas-change-4?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2182036/critical-roles-played-hong-kong-researchers-chinas-change-4?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jan 2019 13:30:27 +0000 Lawmakers across Hong Kong’s political divide have snubbed the welfare chief’s offer of additional support for senior citizens to compensate them for the loss of allowances they will no longer be entitled to under a controversial change in the age threshold from next month. In a rare show of unity as the controversy intensified on Monday, legislators accused the government of being heartless and demanded a delay, but Secretary for Labour and Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong stood firm, insisting it was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2181950/support-available-hongkongers-who-wont-qualify-elderly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2181950/support-available-hongkongers-who-wont-qualify-elderly?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jan 2019 05:30:15 +0000 An express rail train was taken out of service on Sunday night after a passenger suspected to be suffering from the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) was intercepted in Hong Kong. The man, a foreign national, was found to have a fever and suspected Mers symptoms as he passed through the Department of Health's Port Health Office at the cross-border rail link’s West Kowloon terminal at about 6.20pm, according to the MTR Corporation. Both he and a companion were sent to hospital by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2181921/express-rail-train-taken-out-service-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2181921/express-rail-train-taken-out-service-after?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jan 2019 02:47:05 +0000 A green minibus driver was killed and 16 passengers injured after the vehicle flipped onto its side on a motorway in Hong Kong's New Territories on Monday morning. The accident happened along a section of Shing Mun Tunnel Road. “At about 8.30am this morning, a public light bus travelling in the direction of Sha Tin-Tai Po is suspected to have spun out of control and flipped over onto its right,” said Wu Shing-tai of New Territories South traffic police accident investigation team. “Police will... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/2181922/seventeen-injured-driver-trapped-after-green-minibus-flips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/2181922/seventeen-injured-driver-trapped-after-green-minibus-flips?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jan 2019 02:00:45 +0000 By the time she was 76, Cheng Choi-yuk had had enough of hospital visits. She was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in 2005. Then she suffered a stroke. In July 2017, a malignant tumour was found under her tongue as a result of the radiotherapy treatment for her previous cancer. Once more Cheng was forced to go under the knife. “I thought to myself at the time: I was nearly 80, had undergone so many surgeries already, and suffered from cancer and a stroke. I was really on the fence on this... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2181892/hong-kongs-chinese-university-successfully?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2181892/hong-kongs-chinese-university-successfully?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jan 2019 12:00:45 +0000 The operator of Hong Kong’s science park will consider building more advanced manufacturing facilities to accommodate future needs as demand for space at a planned project in Tseung Kwan O is likely to outstrip supply. The final tally of applications for floor space at the 1 million sq ft Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMC) – a key component in the government’s re-industrialisation strategy – is expected to be “overwhelming”, according to a source close to the matter. The source cited... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2181856/new-state-art-manufacturing-centre-facing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2181856/new-state-art-manufacturing-centre-facing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jan 2019 11:03:40 +0000 Hongkongers may have spent fewer days breathing in unhealthy air last year, according to a green group’s analysis of official data. Green Power’s findings came as the Environmental Protection Department was expected to release its annual summary of overall air quality for 2018 on Friday. According to the group’s analysis of a year of data from the department’s 13 roadside and ambient air quality monitoring stations, Hong Kong experienced at least 60 days where pollution corresponded to a “high”... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2181598/fewer-days-dirty-air-hong-kong-2018-green-group?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2181598/fewer-days-dirty-air-hong-kong-2018-green-group?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jan 2019 01:03:22 +0000 Tempelhof Field in south-central Berlin is the first stop Jonas Schorr shows to visitors, as an example of how bottom-up city planning ties into the development of a smart city. “Sometimes, the smartest solutions have nothing to do with technology,” says the Berlin native and freelance smart city consultant who helps city managers navigate this novel and sometimes arbitrary field. The sprawling Tempelhof Airport, which has a history dating back to the Nazi era, is indeed an urban planning and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2181019/what-hong-kong-can-learn-old-berlin-airport-bottom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2181019/what-hong-kong-can-learn-old-berlin-airport-bottom?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jan 2019 00:02:41 +0000 Hong Kong could experience a less polluted winter than normal if a strong enough El Niño weather effect whips up in the Pacific Ocean towards the end of what is typically the smoggiest season of the year, findings from a new study suggest. The climate pattern describes the slight warming of sea surface temperatures over the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean every few years due to the slackening of the trade winds across it. A La Niña effect brings the opposite. According to Chinese University... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2180907/hong-kong-could-get-less-polluted-winter-thanks-el?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2180907/hong-kong-could-get-less-polluted-winter-thanks-el?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jan 2019 00:00:20 +0000 Overcrowded public hospital wards are bracing for an even heavier winter flu load ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday next month, with non-urgent patients having to wait up to eight hours to see a doctor. The health authority last week announced the city had entered the winter peak season for influenza and warned virus activity could further increase in coming weeks. So far the surge has claimed eight lives. The Department of Health said the peak flu season normally lasted for at least a month,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2180897/non-urgent-patients-wait-8-hours-hong-kongs-public?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2180897/non-urgent-patients-wait-8-hours-hong-kongs-public?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Jan 2019 09:30:30 +0000 Students and staff at Hong Kong’s oldest university started the new year with a joint appeal to the governing council to remove the chancellor’s powers to appoint members and select its chairman behind closed doors. The University of Hong Kong’s Student Union, Academic Staff Association, and Alumni Concern Group, said amending the university statutes would be the easiest way to introduce much-needed change in governance, forgoing the need for legislative amendments. This came as controversial... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2180299/university-hong-kong-students-and-staff-united-desire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2180299/university-hong-kong-students-and-staff-united-desire?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Jan 2019 23:03:14 +0000 Hundreds of thousands of revellers in Hong Kong began the new year with the thunderous roar of HK$14 million (US$1.8 million) worth of fireworks going off above Victoria Harbour at the stroke of midnight. At least 340,000 people gathered on either side of the famed harbour to watch a 10-minute synchronised “pyromusical” of fireworks, pyrotechnics, lights and music, while countdown celebrations were held on the streets and in malls across commercial and tourist haunts such as Causeway Bay, Lan... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2180200/pay-politics-and-positivity-minds-hongkongers-2019-beckons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2180200/pay-politics-and-positivity-minds-hongkongers-2019-beckons?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Dec 2018 14:33:00 +0000 A week of free performances and events ahead of the January opening of Hong Kong’s landmark Chinese opera theatre began on Sunday, drawing throngs of enthusiasts hoping to nab limited tickets for the first shows. The Xiqu Centre, the first performing arts centre to be completed at the West Kowloon Cultural District, will officially open on January 20. Those lucky enough to get tickets on the first day of an eight-day pre-opening gala enjoyed two inaugural “stage-dedication performances” of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2180043/chinese-opera-fans-turn-out-events-ahead-opening-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2180043/chinese-opera-fans-turn-out-events-ahead-opening-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Dec 2018 12:50:08 +0000 The Hong Kong cold snap claimed one life on Sunday, after six people were sent to hospital with hypothermia, as the temperature dropped below 10 degrees Celsius in several parts of the city. The Hospital Authority, which oversees the city’s public hospitals, said at 5pm on Sunday that the six, aged 50 to 90, had been treated for hypothermia in the previous 24 hours. A source said a 90-year-old woman, who had been sent to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, in Chai Wan, had died. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2180005/hong-kong-cold-snap-sets-temperature-plunging-10?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2180005/hong-kong-cold-snap-sets-temperature-plunging-10?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Dec 2018 04:07:27 +0000 The amount of industrial waste ending up in Hong Kong’s landfills rose by a fifth last year as mainland China began shutting out waste imports from around the world, the latest official figures show. Industrial rubbish, the third biggest contributor to municipal solid waste behind households and the commercial sector, rose 20 per cent from about 925 tonnes per day in 2016 to 1,100 tonnes, according to as yet unreleased statistics from the Environmental Protection Department. The 185-tonne daily... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2179247/industrial-waste-landfills-fifth-china-bound?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2179247/industrial-waste-landfills-fifth-china-bound?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Dec 2018 01:00:27 +0000 Hong Kong’s biggest electricity supplier has received more than 1,100 applications to sell renewable energy into the grid since the scheme was announced earlier this year, with applications skyrocketing after the government dismantled some of the red tape in October. But CLP Power said there were multiple challenges in connecting premises in remote and rural areas, and not all interested applicants were able to secure the price range because of voltage and infrastructure issues. Under the new... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2179224/renewable-energy-applications-skyrocket-attaching?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2179224/renewable-energy-applications-skyrocket-attaching?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Dec 2018 00:01:49 +0000